• TTCL plans 1,400 towers by 2027, linked to national broadband backbone
• First phase to deliver 626 towers by June 2026, second to add 774 in 2027
• Project aims to cut digital divide, boost services, and support Vision 2050

Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL) will deploy 1,400 new telecom towers by 2027 to expand network coverage in rural and underserved areas. The announcement was made by Managing Director Moremi Marwa at the 2025 CEOs Forum held last week in Arusha.

The program will be implemented in two phases. The first, during fiscal year 2025/2026, will cover the construction of 626 towers, with commissioning expected by June 2026. The second, in 2026/2027, will add 774 towers to meet the target. All towers will connect to the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB) to ensure reliable, high-speed access.

The project is part of Tanzania’s national digital strategy and contributes to the Vision 2050 agenda, which aims to build an economy driven by information and communication technologies. By expanding Internet coverage, the government seeks to reduce the digital divide in rural communities, giving them access to online education, digital health, financial services, and e-commerce.

Linking the new towers to the national backbone is also expected to improve service quality and strengthen network resilience against outages and overloads. The initiative should bring economic benefits by supporting entrepreneurship, enhancing agricultural productivity through digital tools, and better integrating local markets into the digital economy.

According to ITU’s DataHub, 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies covered 98.2%, 91%, and 88% of Tanzania’s population respectively in 2024. Yet, UN DESA data show the country scored 0.3792 out of 1 on the digital infrastructure index in 2024—below the African average of 0.4534.